Chapter 1 - The Atlantic World, to 1600

Summary

Five hundred years ago, frequent contact began among Native Americans, Europeans, and West Africans on the shores of North America. The resulting conflicts and interactions among these different cultures had far-reaching effects, sometimes tragic and destructive, for the people of these three worlds.

Chapter Outline

Section 1: The Native American World

Early Native Americans societies, which had populated North America for thousands of years, had different ways of life but held shared beliefs and participated in a wide trading network.

Section 2: The European World

Throughout the Middle Ages, Europe's contact with the rest of the world did not usually extend beyond the near regions of Africa and Asia. Gradually, however, a great movement later called the Renaissance led Europeans to seek new knowledge and undertake journeys of exploration.